Saturday, December 30, 2017

Need a Role Model? Consider Boaz

Most know of the wonton sexual predation occurring on multiple levels by those in power against the weak—generally, though not exclusively, men against women—coming to light in the exposure of public figures and the #MeToo of social media. While many have rightly decried the actions perpetrated on victims, Amy Mantravadi has given a response that does not examine the severity of the act so much as offered a biblical solution in Boaz is a Hero for our Time. Consider just this portion:

Boaz went out of his way to help Ruth. He spent the rest of the day coming up with ways to give her more food, inviting her to join them at lunch and commanding his men to purposefully drop extra grain for her to reap. Even the way that he gave her food was designed to uphold her dignity, and he forbid his men from rebuking her. (2:14-16) Moreover, he spoke encouraging words to Ruth and honored her faith rather than judging her based on appearance or background. (Again, whether or not he personally appreciated her appearance is a matter for debate, but he didn’t say anything about it.)

The piece is well worth the read. While most want heroes with capes, lightsabers, and superhuman abilities, real heroes are known by their divinely-enabled character. Men, be that hero.